{"nrhp_refnum":"78000439","name":"Martha's Vineyard Campground","other_names":["Wesleyan Grove"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Cottage Park, Quequechan, Clinton, Dukes, County, Siloam, Lake, and Central Aves.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oak Bluffs","county":"Dukes County","state":"MA","lat":41.454352500000056,"lon":-70.5612877572115,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-12-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Landscape Architecture","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district of 306 cottages and 6 public buildings on 34 oak-shaded acres in the center of Oak Bluffs (formerly Cottage City), Dukes County, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1835 as a Methodist camp-meeting ground, also called Wesleyan Grove.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the campground is significant for its unique cottage architecture, its remarkable state of preservation, and its link to nineteenth century Methodist camp-meeting religious practice. It was one of the largest campgrounds in the country and the best preserved. Its growth also sparked the resort development that led to the town of Cottage City, and its cottages became a model called \"Martha's Vineyard Cottages\".","narrative":"Martha's Vineyard Campground is a compact district of 306 small cottages and six public buildings on 34 shaded acres in the middle of Oak Bluffs. It began in 1835 as a Methodist camp meeting, first held among nine large tents around a preacher's stand. Over time cottages replaced tents, and the layout of circles, parks and radial avenues around Trinity Park stayed in place. The typical cottage is a narrow gable-front structure of tongue and groove boarding, with Gothic mouldings and ornate bargeboard trim. The 1879 iron Tabernacle, Trinity Methodist Church, Grace Methodist Chapel, the 1859 Association Building and two hotels complete the group. The district was listed for its distinctive cottage architecture, its exceptional preservation, and its role as a model nineteenth century Methodist campground. Its growth also led to the founding of the town of Cottage City in 1880. The Camp-Meeting Association still owns the land and oversees both religious and community life.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Tabernacle assembled in 1879 by George Dwight and John Hoyt, galvanized iron dealers from Springfield; forty cottages built by Edgartown carpenters in 1864","architectural_style":"Campground cottage (Gothic-detailed)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and occupied. The Camp-Meeting Association still owns the land and governs the campground. The Tabernacle is used for community events. About 50 cottages have been winterized and others altered, but the nineteenth century character remains.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.122398-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/7946/63794604/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000439.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000439/4088a2e71a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000439/4088a2e71a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Elkman at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OakBluffs2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Elkman at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OakBluffs2.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"05000458","name":"Wesleyan Grove","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/wesleyan-grove-05000458/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794604","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesleyan_Grove","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7984050"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/dukes-county/marthas-vineyard-campground-78000439/"}